INDEX
.1 April 11
.2 April 12
.3 April 13
.4 April 14
.5 April 15
.6 April 16
.7 April 17
.8 April 18
.9 Media Monitoring
Chiapas Chronology: April 11-18, 1995.
April 11
Plantation owners in Suchiate hired ex-
soldiers and ex-guerillas from Central
America to oust peasant farmers from five
banana fields, so declared the Emiliano
Zapata Peasants Organization (OCEZ).
At noon on April 8th, 1,500 indigenous
peoples went to the San Miguel ejido to form
a "Peace Circle" which would be completed
with volunteers from civil society affiliated
with the Coordination of Non-Governmental
Organizations for Peace (CONPAZ), in order to
protect the talks with the delegation from
the federal government. Commander Tacho
raised his voice, "We are waiting for the
dialogue to begin because we didn't come here
just to stand around. We all have to
contribute to the dialogue. We're not asking
for anything more than a better way of
life...We haven't had liberty, we haven't had
democracy -- Why don't they let us say that
openly in the town square? Democracy,
justice and liberty are what's lacking."
Due to the adverse circumstances affecting
their movement, the Zapatista Army of
National Liberation has been forced to accept
the conditions and terms of the dialogue for
peace that would have been inadmissible a
year ago. Felipe Arizmendi Ezquivel, the
Bishop of Tapachula, remarked, "Subcommandent
Marcos has noticed that they must take
advantage of the moment or they will see an
increase in their losses." According to the
opinion of the bishop for the border region,
this is the main reason why they currently
seek negotiation instead of armed threats.
"Marcos believed they had greater military
force and now he's convinced that they don't;
he thought that the EZLN had many more
followers and now they're losing them; he
imagined there would be armed uprisings all
over the country and there weren't. So, he
knows that if they don't take advantage of
this opportunity, they could lose everything,
and since he isn't dumb, he knows they can
still gain a lot of the good things they have
asked for."
The leader of the Mexican Workers'
Confederation (CTM), Fidel Velazquez, denied
the need for dialogue in Chiapas. "I don't
believe that dialogue would be effective
because the 'masked men's' intention is to
continue their actions not only in Chiapas
but in other states, creating problems all
over the country."
Thousands of peasant farmers from the Los
Altos and jungle regions marched in San
Cristobal de las Casas and the municipal
capital of Las Margaritas in order to
commemorate the 76th anniversary of Emiliano
Zapata's death. They demanded the withdrawal
of military troops from the conflict zone, a
solution to the agrarian situation, and
recognition of autonomous regions.
With the signing of an agreement to
reestablish the dialogue for peace, the EZLN
demonstrated their true willingness to find a
political solution to the conflict in
Chiapas. Nevertheless, the armed body will
stand firm on their position in regards to
democracy, liberty and justice, said
Commander "Tacho". In this sense, the
National Mediation Commission (CONAI)
declares that both the EZLN and the goverment
are willing to enter into dialogue, negotiate
and reach agreements. "The CONAI recognizes
the open and conciliatory attitudes and
behavior of the two delegations for entering
into dialogue," stated a five-point document
presented by the mediating body.
The highways connecting the municipality of
Las Margaritas with the cities of Comitan,
Independencia and Altamirano were blocked
today by indigenous people and peasant
farmers who also seized the offices of the
National Indigenous Institute (INI) and the
Secretary of Social Development (SEDESOL)
where the workers of these two institutions
are being held in order to pressure the state
Congress to remove Mayor Romero Suarez
Culebro from office and to establish a plural
Municipal Council, so informed Rafael Guillen
Dominguez, the spokesperson for the
protesting parties.
According to the Secretary of Education in
Chiapas, 4,403 students from the conflict
zone have still not returned to their
classes, due to the conditions that prevail
in the region.
April 12
The Congressional Commision for Peace and
Concord (COCOPA) declared their "intention to
delimit and reduce the labors of the National
Mediation Commision (CONAI) to the role of
mediation rather than the organization" of
the event and security measures. The COCOPA
also pointed out that it wishes to "delimit
the participation of the International Red
Cross" in the negotiation process given that
the process is of a "regional nature".
The mediating role of churches in armed
conflicts is recognized by the Vatican as
part of the pastoral work of its bishops,
therefore, Samuel Ruiz Garcia has not stepped
outside of his jurisdiction, confirmed Miguel
Alvarez Gandara, secretary to the Bishop of
San Cristobal de las Casas. He also pointed
out that armed conflicts are usually
generated by causes such as injustice,
poverty, the lack of democracy, and
violations to human rights.
The San Miguel Joint Declaration forces the
Federal Government and the EZLN to comply
with "correlative commitments", thereby
preventing activities that harm the
negotiation and helping to successfully
reach a resolution to their differences,
declared the Secretary of the Interior. The
Secretary urged the EZLN to assume a
"conciliatory attitude" in harmony with the
goverment's decision to suspend all inquiries
and offensive actions against the EZLN, in
accordance with the law.
Chiapas and the State of Mexico are at the
top of the list of greatest number of
complaints filed before the National Human
Rights Commision (CNDH), whereas the state of
Hidalgo is fourth to the last with 104
complaints against different authorities,
stated the second CNDH visitor, Ismael Eslava
Perez. Over a four year and ten month time
period, the CNDH received 409 complaints from
the state of Chiapas and sent out 39
recommendations to state authorities, 37 of
which were for the state governor; only 10 of
those recommendations were fulfilled, 27 are
being attended to, and 3 were not accepted,
informed the CNDH's legal advisor Efren
Gonzalez Pola. Chiapas is third in the
nation in violations to human rights; Oaxaca
is first, followed by Puebla. Of the
recommendations delivered to authorities,
over 90% were for the state governor, the
president of the LVIII state legislature, the
municipal president of San Juan Chamula and
the Central Commision of the State Congress.
Sources high-up in the Bill Clinton
administration commented that if there does
exist a "certain amount of caution" in
regards to the negotiations to politically
resolve the armed conflict in the state of
Chiapas, last Sunday's meeting "under such
difficult conditions" signifies that both
parties see the dialogue as an option which
can yield acceptable results for all.
April 13
In their preliminary report, the Fray
Bartolome de las Casas Human Rights Center
presented a total of 95 cases of violations
to human rights, including torture,
executions, arbitrary detentions,
maltreatment, harassment, raids and theft,
impunity and impeding free transit. These
violations were committed from February 9th
to April 9th by federal, state and municipal
authorities, as well as by members of the
Mexican Army.
Despite the importance that the
reestablishing of the dialogue between the
Federal Government and the EZLN holds for tv
viewers, the event received minor coverage
from the four most important Mexican news
programs; media attention continued to focus
upon the economic situation, announced the
Mexican Academy of Human Rights (AMDH) in its
report on tv monitoring from April 3-7. The
AMDH points out that these four stations show
their disinterest in covering events in
Chiapas by jointly dedicating an average of
nine minutes a day to the situation in
Chiapas: "they continued to show little
interest in providing sufficient information
to tv viewers to help them form their own
reasoned opinions about what's happening in
Chiapas, even though the time period for
reestablishing dialogue was very near (as
agreed upon in the law for Dialogue,
Conciliation and Dignified Peace in
Chiapas)."
On March 2nd at 10:00 a.m., five indigenous
prisoners began a hunger fast demanding the
revision of their files which "have countless
irregularities -- the majority of the inmates
in the Center for Social Adaptation #10 are
subject to injust processes." With the
intervention of non-governmental human rights
centers, 18 detained individuals were
released by means of simple legal processes
which had not been enacted due to the
negligence of the corresponding authorities.
Bishop Felipe Aguirre Franco announced that
the National Mediation Commision (CONAI) has
formally invited the Vatican to participate
in the peace talks in Chiapas.
Jose Alvarez Icaza, member of the National
Democratic Convention's Council of
Representatives, confirmed yesterday that
Bishop Samuel Ruiz is the only person who can
speak with the government and the EZLN in
order to establish peace in Chiapas,
emphasizing that if the Vatican has
officially decided to recognize his labor of
mediation in the conflict, "now is time to
continue that support." Alvarez Icaza stated
that the campaign to discredit the San
Cristobal de las Casas bishop "doesn't make
sense" and is promoted by the Vatican's
representative in Mexico, Girolamo Prigione.
The Secretary of Defense expressed his
conviction to maintain the military in
Chiapas, in order to contribute to preserving
the state of order; in addition, he denied
the existence of an intense campaign to
discreit and slander the Mexican Army.
April 14
The behavior of the members of the National
Attorney General's Ofice (PGR) and the
Mexican Army in the state of Chiapas from
February 9th to April 9th was in complete
compliance with the law, confirmed officials
from both state governmental institutions,
who assured that their members did not commit
human rights violations in the conflict zone.
According to Jose Luis Vivanco, executive
director of Human Rights Watch Americas
(HRWA), the cases of imprisonment of Javier
Elorriaga Verdegue and Jorge Santiago
Santiago "give the impression of taking
political hostages and the legal evidence
accumulated against them is questionable.
According to versions that we have received,
the charges against the detained parties seem
to have been invented before the fact."
After analyzing the situation of the blockade
of the banana production zone in the southern
border region, the Emiliano Zapata
Proletarian Organization (OPEZ) agreed to
solicit the intervention of the Mexican Army
in order to prevent the actions of "Central
American mercenaries" hired by plantation
owners who wish to remove the peasants from
the seized fields.
More than 50 students from the National
Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
arrived at the site of the blockade near the
Guatemala border at dawn in order to express
their support for the peasant farmer
movement, which they judge to be just and
legitimate given the legendary exploitation
of the farm workers by 'casiques' and large
landowners.
The Secretary of the Interior (SG) assented
to the petition to permit Commander Ramona,
member of the EZLN leadership, to be moved to
Mexico City "or any other city" in order for
her to receive medical treatment for a
disease that is most likely terminal.
Over the past 15 months in the state of
Chiapas, 90,000 hectares of land have been
"recovered" by peasant farmer organizations
due to the lack of response from federal and
state authorities to resolve the serious
agrarian deterioration, so informed the
Coordinator of the Legal Commision of the
State Council of Indigenous and Campesino
Organizations (CEOIC) Caralampio Gomez
Hernandez.
April 15
No foreign individuals will participate in
the continued peace talks between the Federal
Government and the EZLN, to be held on April
20th in the municipality of San Andres
Larrainzar, declared the representative of
the Secretary of the Interior on the Federal
Government's commision to negotiate the armed
conflict, Gustavo Irruegas.
Jorge Santiago Santiago, accused of being
affiliated with the EZLN, was released
yesterday from the Cerro Hueco Prison after a
judge considered the evidence presented
against him by the PGR, accusing him of being
"the liason between Subcommander Marcos and
Bishop Samuel Ruiz", to be insufficient. At
the same time, the judge of the Twentieth
Circuit Court cleared Jorge Javier Elorriaga
Verdegue and Sebastian Entzin Gomez of the
charges of sedition and insurrection,
although he accused them of rebellion and
terrorism.
A total of 23 peasants, indigenous people and
land owners have died violent deaths in the
past three weeks in several municipalities
within and outside of the conflict zone, all
caused by land disputes. In some cases, the
community was resolving the dispute
internally and in others, confrontations with
the so-called "white guards" or members of
state public security forces led to the
deaths of the 23 individuals.
The problem of land ownership in the state of
Chiapas has worsened over the past few weeks.
counted for each passing day, whether it be a
peasant farmer or land owner from different
regions of the state where the amount of land
suffering agrarian deterioration accounts for
the 30% of the national total.
The Episcopal Commision on Chiapas and the
Bishops of Tuxtla Gutierrez and Tapachula
received complaints regarding violations of
human rights of inhabitants of communities
adjoining the conflict zone up to the end of
February of last year; the complaints
denounce the infiltration of members of the
Mexican Army and the EZLN into their
communities. These complaints were passed on
to the CNDH to be investigated. Felipe
Arizmendi, Bishop of Tapachula and member of
this Episcopal Commision, spoke about the
recommendations of organizations which defend
human rights saying that, due to their
structure and guidelines which define that
they receive complaints solely pertaining to
authorities, their final recommendations turn
out to be "partial" ones. It would be
recommendable, he expressed, for the CNDH, as
well as NGOs, to receive complaints against
individual parties or groups of citizens, in
this case the EZLN, because the complaints of
violations to individual liberties --in the
case of Chiapas-- are directed against
authorities but also against the EZLN.
April 16
Cardenal Roger Echegaray, President of the
Pontifical Commision for Justice and Peace in
the Holy See, will go to Chiapas at the
personal invitation of Samuel Ruiz as the
Bishop of San Cristobal,and not in his role
as a member of the CONAI. This is solely an
eclestistical invitation -- the Vatican will
not enter the local church during the peace
talks, but will merely visit the Diocese and
observe the eclestistical labors that are
carried out there. At this time, "the
possibility" to resolve the Chiapas conflict
through political means "is even greater",
according to Jorge Santiago Santiago, who was
imprisoned in Cerro Hueco until yesterday
having been accused of belonging to the EZLN
leadership. He believes he was released
because there were no "factors or reasons
presented by the State justifying a prison
sentence"; he added, "the tie that I have to
the EZLN is sharing the belief that changes
in this society are necessary, that we need
to search for just solutions and change
certain societal norms...My release is a
reponse to national and international
solidarity, an uprising from the people
demanding justice and respect for social
processes and participation, declaring that
the State should not be impune when it uses
judicial means to achieve its own interests."
Commenting during the 76th anniversary of
Emiliano Zapata's death who is considered to
be the supreme hero of the Mexican
Revolution, Subcommander Marcos expressed
that Emiliano Zapata marches in the EZLN's
shoes, fighting for democracy, liberty and
justice --"Emiliano Zapata died, but his
struggle and his thoughts live on."
The Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD)
will propose that the Chamber of Deputies
subscribe to an "International Agreement"
that protects the victims of internal armed
conflicts, according to the PRD's Secretary
of External Affairs Cuauhtemoc Sandoval
Ramirez.
April 17
The Zapatistas will undergo everthing that is
necessary in order to achieve a political
solution to the conflict before once again
deciding upon violence, so stated the
governor of the rebel government in Chiapas,
Amado Avendano, after a private meeting with
some members of the Clandestine Indigenous
Revolutionary Committee.
After 63 days of refuge in a region of the
Lacandona Jungle, a little over 1,000 Tzeltal
indigenous people, inhabitants of the Morelia
ejido, returned to their homes after having
fled before the presence of Mexican Army
troops and judicial agents who enterred the
region in search of the EZLN leadership. The
return of the indigenous people was carried
out with the presence of representatives from
civil society and the CNDH, both of which
have camps installed in the region. Their
presence is seen as a possibility for
carrying out another exodus in the case of
observing behavior on behalf of the Mexican
Army that endangers the community.
Commander Tacho assures that the EZLN has no
interest whatsoever in drawing out the
dialogue with the Federal Government and
insists that the EZLN is willing to hold
frequent meetings in order to reach a
solution to the conflict in the region.
Now that the San Andres Larrainzar ejido has
been established as the site for
reestablishing the talks between the Federal
Government and the EZLN in search for a
solution, work has begun to build and adapt
installations on a basketball court.
The Vatican's role, says Girolamo Prigione
Potzzi, is not to intervene in countries'
internal affairs, nor to establish conditions
nor mark the path for resolving conflicts.
In this sense, he guaranteed that the Vatican
would intervene as a mediating body only at
the formal and explicit request of the
Federal Government, the Zapatista Army, and
the corresponding legislative body.
April 18
More than 500 police agents participated in
the action decreed by the state Attorney
General, Jose Enrique Hernandez Aguilar, to
oust the OPEZ from the state highway that
connects the banana fields with the
Guatemalan border. Eleven days ago, the
highway was claimed by peasant farmers from
the Emiliano Zapata Proletarian Organization
who protested the lack of attention paid to
agrarian conflicts.
While Bishop Samuel Ruiz pointed out that
"there aren't any signs on the horizon that
announce the intention of either party to
obstruct the dialogue", he shared that the
Mexican Red Cross would form part of the main
"peace circle" to be installed around the
dialogue table; behind them will be
indigenous people from civil society -- both
indigenous and mestizos; and, a third
"circle" will be formed by members of
different local and national non-governmental
organizations. With this measure, the
renowned International Red Cross Committee
will only be in charge of transporting the
leaders of the armed group to the
negotiations which will begin next Thursday,
April 20th.
"The conciliation should commit both
parties," proposes Commander Tacho, who
points out that if both parties agree that
peace is the desired result, they can't go
around threatening one another. He states,
"First we asked for measures to reduce
military tension, to separate the two armies
and prevent the federal parties from coming
into contact with the civil population."
Likewise, he commented upon the "Basic Rules
of Protocol" which highlight the points of
order and the methods for discussing --
especially in regards to national problems --
political reform, women's issues, and
indigenous demands. He also points out that
now there is more time to better prepare the
dialogue so that more people participate and
consolidating real peace doesn't solely
depend upon the EZLN and the government, but
upon civil society that "can force us to come
to an agreement." In regards to the proposal
to carry out consultations in the different
communities, he comments that it could be
done in 20 days time if there is no military
pressure and that the EZLN will comply to
those conditions.
Marco Antonio Bernal Gutierrez was named the
new coordinator of the Dialogue for
Conciliation and Peace in Chiapas; and on
behalf of the Federal Government, he will
head the meeting with the EZLN leadership in
San Andres. The Secretary of the Interior
simultaneously informed that the negotiation
will be carried out by a work team created by
the Secretary.
Oscar Lopez Velarde, official spokesperson
for the COCOPA, announced that the first
point on the negotiation agenda will be the
withdrawal of the Mexican Army and the design
of measures for reducing military tension in
Chiapas. Also, Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia,
another COCOPA member, commented that
measures for reducing tension do not
necessarily include the complete withdrawal
of the Mexican Army; and in the case that it
does, a similar action should be enacted by
the other side.
Juan Guerra, deputy for the Party of the
Democratic Revolution (PRD), after mentioning
that the military conciliation must be
reciprocal and proporcional -- given that the
first meeting between Zapatistas and
governmental representatives occurred within
military circles -- stated that the EZLN
shouldn't lay down their arms until the
authorities show examples and proof of
complying with their agreements.
Pilar Noriega, the defense attorney for Etzin
Gomez and Javier Elorriaga Verdegue who were
imprisoned for their supposed connection to
the EZLN, denied that the liberty of supposed
guerilla members is included in the agenda
for Dialogue between the EZLN and the Federal
Government. She also mentioned that there
are many possibilities for attaining the
release of Etzin Gomez after he expounds upon
his official statement since there are not
sufficient means for official sentencing.
Representatives of the COCOPA and the CONAI,
including Juan Carlos Gomez Aranda and
Raymundo Sanchez Barraza (members of the two
respective organizations), were present in
the municipal capital of San Andres
Larrainzar in order to revise the different
buildings that will be adapted for the talks
and the stay of the negotiators and others.
During this visit, it was also known that
the officials from the Secretary of the
Interior and COCOPA members will use the
municipal palace for internal consultation,
whereas the EZLN will use the community
meeting hall. An additional point of
information was also given there: that some
500 national journalists can be accredited to
cover the talks and measures have been
implemented to screen for "nonexistent" media
and falsified press passes.
Members of the Coordinator of Organizations
Struggling for the Freedom of the Mayan
People (the majority of whom are Tsotzil)
warned that if their imprisoned brothers in
Zinacantan are not freed during the next few
hours, they will resort to other means to
pressure the authorities. This situation is
threatening for the peace negotiations given
the close proximity to the municipality of
San Andres Larrainzar.
MEDIA MONITORING, APRIL 10 - 14, 1995
The monitoring of four night news programs on
the Mexican television by the Mexican Academy
of Human Rights, over the week of April 10-
14, 1995, revealed that the Chiapas conflict
was given the minimum time in all cases.
Main results of the analysis of Televisa's
"24 Horas," Television Azteca's "Hechos,"
Multivision's "Para Usted," and Channel 11's
"Enlace," over the mentioned period are as
follows:
(Note: the "Para Usted" emissions of April 13
and 14 were not recorded and therefore at the
end of this report we will only refer to the
timings for "24 Horas," "Hechos," and
"Enlace").
Between April 10 and 14 total time given by
"24 Horas," "Hechos," and "Enlace" to the
Chiapas conflict was 26 minutes and 14
seconds. The analysis by program shows a
reduction in the time granted to the Chiapas
situation, compared to the week of April 3-7.
During this week, "24 Horas" gave Chiapas
news 14 minutes and 35 seconds, compared to
11 minutes and 35 seconds from April 10 to
14, while "Hechos" gave it 19 minutes and 55
seconds in the week of April 3-7 and 11
minutes and 44 seconds in the week of April
10-14. Finally, "Enlace" gave Chiapas news
six minutes and 52 seconds in the week of
April 3-7 and only two minutes and 55 seconds
during the week of April 10-14.
Media continued to show very little interest
on offering comprehensive information on the
Chiapas situation, despite its current
decisive condition. This not only prevents
the audience from forming an opinion about
the situation, but from even having the basic
information on what is going on out there.
Members of the government received in general
more coverage than the EZLN, the Conai and
other actors censuring government actions.
The analysis of the way the Chiapas conflict
has been covered so far reveals that all news
programs monitored show a trend to minimize
the subject. The coverage of the Chiapas
conflict by these news programs does not
comply with the law regarding the right to be
informed by which all Mexicans are supposed
to receive comprehensive, balanced and
truthful information.
The Chiapas events covered this week by the
media were:
1. The meeting between representatives of the
government and of the EZLN, held at San
Miguel, Ocosingo, Chiapas, on Sunday April 9,
at which the basic protocol for the dialogue
which will start on April 20, with San Andres
Larrainzar as the permanent seat, was agreed
to by both parties.
2. The reactions by both Congress Chambers to
the agreements reached at the meeting between
the government and the EZLN.
3. The commemoration of the anniversary of
the assassination of Emiliano Zapata at
Chinameca, Morelos, presided over by Ernesto
Zedillo. At the ceremony, Beatriz Paredes,
Secretary General of the National Peasant
Confederation (CNC) referred to the Chiapas
situation.
4. The point of agreement reached by deputies
of the PRI, PAN, PRD, and PT parties to
release prisoners charged on being members of
the EZLN.
5. The liberation of Jorge Santiago Santiago
on April 14. Santiago Santiago was being held
in prison on charges of being a liaison with
the EZLN.
6. The statement made by members of the
Concord and Peace Commission (Cocopa)assuring
that the Mexican Army will not leave San
Andres Larrainzar, designated seat for the
dialogue between the government and the EZLN.
7. The clash between supposed members of the
EZLN with members of the Revolutionary
Institutional Party (PRI) at the municipality
of La Independencia, Chiapas. Four people
were killed.
The reduction in coverage was observed
despite several events that could decisively
affect the initiation of the dialogue between
the government and the Zapatista Army of
National Liberation (EZLN) as well as its
outcome. The economic situation of the
country, the news about the bankruptcy of
Ruta 100 and its aftermath, as well as the
Holy Week celebrations, received most of the
attention in the news programs monitored.
With the exception of "Enlace," the newscasts
did not include in the presentation of their
programs a piece of information as relevant
as the meeting held at San Miguel, Ocosingo
between the EZLN and the government. The
"Para Usted" news program did not even
include information on this important event.
It should be mentioned that the presentation
of the news programs, where usually the most
important news are advanced, is the most
important segment, equivalent to the front
page of a newspaper.
The PRI was the actor receiving most of the
time in "Hechos": two minutes and 24 seconds.
Television Azteca's news program gave to
'Other actors' two minutes and 14 seconds,
basically devoted to the interviews to
Alfonso Guillen Guillen, the father of Rafael
Sebastian Guillen's, who has been identified
as Subcomandante Marcos by the Mexican
authorities. The opinion of Deputies and
Senators --Other authorities-- on the San
Miguel encounter received two minutes and
four seconds. On the other hand, the
mediating groups received similar coverage:
Cocopa, one minute and 39 seconds, and Conai,
one minute and 15 seconds. The PRD got 55
seconds and the EZLN 50 seconds. The
Secretary of the Interior accumulated only 23
seconds while President Zedillo, the Attorney
General's Office (PGR) and the Mexican Army
received no time at all. Regarding effective
voice and image time, "Hechos" gave San
Cristobal de las Casas Bishop, Samuel Ruiz,
in his role of President of the Conai, one
minute and 15 seconds. The PRI got one minute
and 12 seconds and the Cocopa 33 seconds.
With respect to "24 Horas," 'Other
authorities' received five minutes and 33
seconds, basically for the reactions of
Deputies and Senators about the meeting at
San Miguel. The Secretariat of the Interior
(Gobernacion) accumulated two minutes and
three seconds, on the Ocosingo encounter and
the visit made by Ambassador Gustavo Iruegas
to San Andres Larrainzar, seat of the next
dialogue. The very little time given to the
EZLN and the Conai is noteworthy: 31 and five
seconds, respectively. On April 11, "24
Horas" included a note giving general
information on San Andres Larrainzar.
Regarding voice and image time, 'Other
authorities' received one minute and 33
seconds.
Time given by "Enlace" to the Chiapas
conflict was particularly limited: two
minutes and 55 seconds. The Secretariat of
the Interior, Cocopa, PRI, PAN, PRD, PT, and
EZLN received 25 seconds each. Regarding
effective voice and image time, the Party of
the Democratic Revolution (PRD) got 16
seconds, the National Action Party (PAN) 13
seconds, and the Secretariat of the Interior
nine seconds.
Total time given by three television news
programs to the major actors in the Chiapas
conflict, April 10-14, 1995.
Miguel Acosta, Rodrigo Gomez, Manuel Martinez
and Aimee Vega.